PHILADELPHIA, PA – On August 10 parents, caregivers, and community organizations filed suit in the case of A.W. v. Commonwealth to challenge Pennsylvania’s ChildLine Registry as unconstitutional. The suit, filed in Commonwealth Court, alleges that parents and caregivers are listed on the Registry and labeled as “child abusers” without first having a chance to defend…
You can now get live help every day of the week at Community Legal Services! We are open for live in-person intake at our Center City and North Philadelphia offices as well as live telephone intake. CLS provides bilingual help or interpreters at no cost as needed. For a detailed list of issues we can…
PHILADELPHIA, PA. – Two Philadelphia workers have filed a class action against Walmart, alleging that the company regularly failed to follow Philadelphia’s Fair Workweek Law. The workers are represented by Community Legal Services of Philadelphia and co-counsel from Lichten & Liss-Riordan P.C., Werman Salas, and Willig, Williams & Davidson. The class action complaint was…
How many times have you encountered an injustice that shocked you so much that you wondered, “How in the world could this possibly be legal?” Well, that’s exactly why we at Community Legal Services created our new podcast, “How Is That Legal?”. With help from our host, CLS Chief Equity and Inclusion Officer Kee Tobar,…
Philadelphia released new “assessments” of property values, which they will use to calculate 2023 property tax bills. If your assessed value went up, your property taxes will, too. Based on the current tax rate, for every $10,000 in increased value, your yearly tax bill will go up by $140. To estimate your 2023 property tax,…
Are you between the ages of 18-26? Join the Youth Action Board at Community Legal Services of Philadelphia! Youth Action Board Fellows will spend a year working together, along with CLS Advocates, to develop ideas, goals, and projects to support young people in Philadelphia. If you… Are a Philadelphia resident between 18-26 Want to…
CLS’s Health & Independence (H&I) Unit represents low-income families, survivors of domestic violence, immigrants, older adults, and people with disabilities on a wide range of issues including accessing public benefits, preventing institutionalization, and ensuring access to healthcare and health insurance. We also advocate to maintain economic stability by preventing interruption or reduction of Social Security…
Updated 03/04/2022 Federal COVID leave and other programs like PUA have expired, just as the Omicron variant began to surge. Workers need time off because they are sick, and working parents need flexibility if their kid’s school is remote. This is a good time to talk about organizing in your workplace! Frontline workers have…
HB 129, a bill which is scheduled for a vote by the Pennsylvania Senate Labor and Industry Committee on February 8, 2022, would require Unemployment Compensation (UC) hearings to be transitioned to “primarily via videoconference.” Video hearings would be the default. In a world of Zoom meetings for many, this might seem on the surface…
The following post was written by Kee Tobar, Director of Racial Equity and Inclusion at Community Legal Services of Philadelphia. Let us remember Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s comprehensive dream as we celebrate his legacy. As the Director of Racial Equity and Inclusion at Community Legal Services of Philadelphia, I realize that so much of…
